Caludon Castle

The remains of the Caludon estate are today located in Wyken, a suburban area to the east of Coventry city centre. However, until portions of it were sold off in the 19th century, the estate was much more expansive. The estate was historically a detached part of St. Michael's parish, but was transferred to Wyken in 1884, which in turn was absorbed into the City of Coventry in 1928. The original boundary of the estate ran from Sowe Bridge (now known as Clifford Bridge, ) over the River Sowe in the south-east to high ground near Stoke Heath in the north-west. A moat, approximately 190 metres (620 feet) to the south of the castle, was constructed in medieval times, probably around the time of the rebuilding in 1305. A Scheduled Ancient Monument in its own right, the moat encloses approximately an acre of land around the property. ==History==

The site was originally occupied by a house, which pre-dated the Norman conquest of England. After the conquest, it came into the possession of the Earls of Chester. In , Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester gave the house to Stephen de Segrave, who served as Chief Justiciar of England. His son, Gilbert de Segrave, inherited the property, and passed it on to his son, Nicholas de Segrave, 1st Baron Segrave, who was created Baron Segrave. The house was first described as a manor in 1239, and, at that time, was the only permanent nobleman's residence in Coventry. The Caludon estate expanded slightly into Wyken, to the north, in 1279 when Nicholas de Segrave purchased a carucate and mill. It passed from Morgan to Sir John Preston through the latter's marriage to Morgan's daughter and co-heir, Jane. The house was badly damaged in 1662 when King Charles II took revenge on Coventry for its heavily parliamentarian sympathies in the English Civil War. Their son, Sir Thomas Preston, inherited the estate, and upon his death in 1709 it passed to his daughter, Anne and her husband, Hugh Clifford, 2nd Baron Clifford of Chudleigh. The Cliffords retained the property, using the ruins of the castle to build a large farmhouse in 1800, until 1815, when the estate was divided up and much of it sold. The estate was then held by various private owners until after the First World War, when the Coventry Corporation purchased much of it and developed the area into suburban housing estates. ==Modern day==

The castle is now a ruin, and all that remains above ground is a large grey sandstone wall, which has been the only remnant of any building on the site since at least the early 18th century. It includes two large tracery windows, decorated by red sandstone, which stand out against the grey. Red sandstone also appears at both ends of the walls, suggesting at least two more windows, and meaning that the wall would have been at least twice the length of the surviving fragment when built. Beneath the large windows are two smaller ones, suggestive of an undercroft, and a flue runs between the sets of windows. The wall fragment is thought to be 14th century, likely dating from the reconstruction in 1354. The moat is now dry, and at least part of it is filled in, but parts are still visible, along with other earthworks. The remaining wall is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, as is the moated site to the south. Since 1955, the wall has also had Grade I listed building status. ==See also==